Getting Started

This guide is intended to help you with your library research. You will find public health related statistical method and data analytical tools that will help you with projects or provide background information on important public health subject areas.

Locating Data Sets

On this page, you will find resources that will help you locate datasets for your research assignments. If you do see a data repository that relates to your research topic, please contact me for assistance.

Broad range of (free to the public) open data from around the world. Knoema is a search engine for data seamlessly connecting public and private sources and making data discoverable and accessible to information workers. Knoema does for data what Google did for websites and the Internet overall. It makes it trivial to find data when you need it and make a story out of it.

Health Data Tools and Statistics

Health Survey Data

The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has collected, analyzed, and disseminated accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 300 surveys in over 90 countries.

A data repository site linking to over 80 federal, non-federal and other data bases ranging from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) which provides access to a plethora of data and surveys on healthcare access, expenditures, quality, etc. to Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), an interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data, to National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (NCVAS) USA, which links to data sources and data sets within the VA. Includes instructions on how to request permission to access VA data.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations. NHANES is a major program of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)…The survey examines a nationally representative sample of about 5,000 persons each year. The examination component consists of medical, dental, and physiological measurements, as well as laboratory tests administered by highly trained medical personnel. Findings from this survey will be used to determine the prevalence of major diseases and risk factors for diseases.

The YRBSS was developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. These behaviors, often established during childhood and early adolescence, include
• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence.
• Sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection.
• Alcohol and other drug use.
• Tobacco use.
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors.
• Inadequate physical activity.
In addition, the YRBSS monitors the prevalence of obesity and asthma and other priority health-related behaviors plus sexual identity and sex of sexual contacts.
From 1991 through 2015, the YRBSS has collected data from more than 3.8 million high school students in more than 1,700 separate surveys.

In 1984, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)--a cross-sectional telephone survey that state health departments conduct monthly over landline telephones and cellular telephones with a standardized questionnaire and technical and methodologic assistance from CDC. BRFSS is used to collect prevalence data among adult U.S. residents regarding their risk behaviors and preventive health practices that can affect their health status.

The California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) is an annually conducted survey about women's health and serves as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls.
The Survey was established to provide information to policy-makers and health professionals about women's health and to serve as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls.

The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men's and women's health. The survey results are used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others to plan health services and health education programs, and to do statistical studies of families, fertility, and health.

Global Health Data

The GHO "By category" view provides data classified according to health related topics. Relevant indicators are grouped together in the various data views in order to provide broader context for the information provided.

General Data

The government’s open data source with almost 200,00 datasets ranges in topics from health, agriculture, climate, ecosystems, public safety, finance, energy and manufacturing to oceans, education and business. Search by topic, or use query button to browse all categories at once.

An international consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community. ICPSR maintains a data archive of more than 250,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.

UNICEF assists countries in collecting and analyzing data in order to fill data gaps for monitoring the situation of children and women through its international household survey initiative the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). UNICEF has strategically invested in data collection and helped transform the data landscape for more than 20 years. The global Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) programme is the centerpiece of this strategy.

The mission of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The OECD provides tatistical data on a wide range of topics in economics, political science, environmental studies, etc.

The World Values Survey (www.worldvaluessurvey.org) is a global network of social scientists studying changing values and their impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The survey, which started in 1981, seeks to use the most rigorous, high-quality research designs in each country.

Women and Pregnancy Data

Childbirth Connection's landmark national Listening to Mothers surveys capture the views of those who care most about maternity issues: mothers themselves. The surveys cover the time from before pregnancy through the postpartum and infant periods, and shed light on women's attitudes, beliefs, preferences and knowledge on a broad range of topics, as well as their maternity care experiences and family and employment life.

The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men's and women's health. The survey results are used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others to plan health services and health education programs, and to do statistical studies of families, fertility, and health.

The California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) is an annually conducted survey about women's health and serves as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls.

PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments. Developed in 1987, PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. PRAMS surveillance currently covers about 83% of all U.S. births.

Provides contact information for staff, and information about data tools available, from federal agencies in multiple domains, including: family and social environment, health care, physical environment and safety and health. Operated by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

The National Center for Health Statistics site includes explanations about data access and use. Data from CDC Wonder and WISQARS is available. Data about diseases and conditions are available for ten broad topics, including diabetes, cardiovascular, and dementia and mental health.

SAMHSA has prioritized data, outcomes and quality - realizing an integrated data strategy and a national framework for quality improvement in behavioral health care will inform policy, measure program impact, and lead to improved quality of services and outcomes of individuals, families, and communities. Data helps SAMHSA and the nation assess the impact of the changes to US health care systems and identify and address behavioral health disparities.

Comprehensive list of links to local, state, national and international health statistics and data sets. Provided by Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce, a collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences librarians.

Portal to public access and secure NCHSdata sets, tools and a data linkage program. The NCHS collects data on characteristics that describe the health of a population, determinants of health and health care.

A collection of databases, managed by a division of the National Library of Medicine, that cover the following topics: chemicals and drugs; diseases and the environment; occupational safety and health; environmental health; poisoning; risk assessment and toxicology.

The National Hospital Care Survey (NHCS) is designed to provide accurate and reliable health care statistics that answer key questions of interest to health care and public health professionals, researchers and health care policy makers.